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At 03:04 AM 7/28/2003 +0200, <font face="arial" size=2>Avner
Haramati</font> wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>And the question:</font><br>
<font face="arial" size=2>We (with Tova) are in a process of using OS in
the context of inhabitants participation in building a "Master-
Plan" for a small city. We would be very thankful to hear and
learn about your experience in this kind of work, especially on the
allignment with the city planners and the planning stages, and how coming
elections effects it?</font><font face="arial"></font></blockquote><br>
I think Romy Shovelton has done some work in this area -- she is sometime
lurker on the list -- but just to get her attention, I will forward this
to her. As far as your question goes -- You have surely asked the tough
one. I find that both city planners and politicians are (in general)
adverse to Open Space. The bottom line is control. They think they should
have it (control), Open Space makes it clear that nobody really does --
and so the problem. While there are undoubtedly ways to integrate Open
Space events into the whole process (At the beginning to set the stage,
in the middle for course corrections and working the "clear as mud
issues", and at the end -- or continuing -- for implementation) I
find that the critical thing it to seek the active, continuing,
participatory involvement of planners and politicians. Things go
badly astray when planners and pols consider the Open Space to be an
exercise of the people which they may observe, and from which they may
receive recommendations -- the old "senior management" model.
Pulling this one off is a major task, and usually involves something like
a "soul change" for the P & Ps. Indeed for some of them it
requires that the world as they have seen it be turned upside down. All
of a sudden the people are "in charge" and the task of the
planners and politicians becomes one of working out the technical details
-- a most important task -- but definitely secondary. This is called
democracy. From the sounds of things (your story) you are off to a good
start. My suggestion would be to spend a lot of time with the P & P
in mentoring relationship, helping them to understand to genuine power of
aligning their efforts with the desires of the people. As Gandhi was
purported to have said -- help them to find out which way the parade is
going and clear the route and manage the traffic. Actually, Gandhi didn't
say that exactly, but I think he could have. <br><br>
Harrison <br><br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<div align="center">Harrison Owen<br>
7808 River Falls Drive<br>
Potomac, MD 20854 USA<br>
phone 301-365-2093<br>
Open Space Training
<a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.com</a>
<br>
Open Space Institute <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.org</a><br>
Personal website <a href="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm" eudora="autourl"><font color="#0000FF">http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm</a><br><br>
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